P.S. I Like You by Kasie West ~ Review & Giveaway

Source:  Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.

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Review...

I adore this book.  It's everything that makes YA so enjoyable to read.  There are amazingly real characters that I enjoy being around.  There is a great story that has me a little unsure and yet positive.  There is an accurate capture of the YA voice with skillful writing.  This book has it all and I enjoyed every minute of reading it.

Lily is the best.  She's more confident than she realizes.  Though she struggles to talk to the boy she's crushing on, she is comfortable in her style and her own skin.  She's witty and refreshing.  Surprising those around her with what comes out of her mouth, she doesn't feel she fits in with the mainstream but she's okay with that.  Her love of obscure bands, lyric writing and her beloved guitar are her life.  She's also this amazing sister and daughter that others saw as a flaw but it was who she was.  I loved that she grew but didn't change the things about her that made her who she is.  Overcoming her fear of speaking to her crush was just one thing that she did.  I throughly enjoyed her as a character.

I enjoyed the friendship between Lily and her bestie, Isabel.  They weren't perfect with both making mistakes that hurt the other.  But these two were true friends because there was always understanding and forgiveness.  That was nice.

As for the boy in this story, I love him.  He's not perfect.  Struggling with his own issues, he finds common ground with Lily over bands.  Together they share the struggles they are facing and look forward to the notes they share.  There's a lot of misunderstanding between them that have both of the thinking the other hates them.  That's real teenager drama right there.  But this boy is really a good guy and I just adore him.

This is my first Kasie West book.  Yeah, what was I thinking not reading her books before?  I own two more.  I found them on my shelf and set them all together so I can pet them and plan to read them soon.  If you've missing this author along the way, don't wait any longer to pick up one of her books because she is brilliant.  

I picked this up one night thinking I'd read a little before I went to bed.  Yeah, right.  I finished it before there was any sleeping.  

                                            

The perfect combination of amazingly real characters, great story and skillful writing make this book YA at it's best.

ABOUT KASIE WEST:

I write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND. And my contemporary novels: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, ON THE FENCE, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, PS I LIKE YOU, and BY YOUR SIDE. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

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Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

7/18: The Irish Banana Review - Review

7/19: The Book Addict's Guide - Book Scents

7/20: What Sarah Read - Review

7/21: Swoony Boys Podcast - Character Interview

7/22: Jenuine Cupcakes - Review

Week 2:

7/25: No BS Book Reviews - P.S. I Mustache You A Question

7/26: YA Reads - Review

7/27: Fiction Fare - Guest Post

7/28: Stuck In Books - Review

7/29: Reading Teen - Top 10

Giveaway

2 Finished Copies of P.S. I LIKE YOU (US Only)

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This giveaway is hosted and sponsored by the tour host and the author.   StuckInBooks is not responsible for selecting a winner or sending out prizes.